Fr. Benedict Groeschel - Child Abuse Comments

[Noel's angel]

Maybe this is old news, but I've just come across this through New Advent, and I have to say, I'm very surprised and disappointed by his statements.

http://www.metro.us/newyork/Local/article/1150935--father-groeschel-apologizes-for-calling-victims-seducers-but-won-t-face-discipline

I understand that he was recovering from a fall, and is getting on in years, but surely if he is becoming confused or whatever, he shouldn't be put in the position of giving interviews.

Thoughts?

[Annie12]

They said he his his head?

These comments go deeper than what you see on the surface. I watch Fr. Groeschel all the time and this doesn't sound one but like him! I think he hurt himself when he fell and became a bit confused. This really doesn't sound like him at all! I'm very surprised.

When my grandma got bad dementia, she started swearing! She would have been absolutely mortified if she had not had dementia! I'm praying about this!

Edited August 31, 2012 by Annie12

[Lil Red]

as a professional editor acquaintance of mine said: "As an editor, my take on this is somewhat different. Authors trust us to protect them from stupid mistakes. And authors of advanced years or inexperience or who have poor judgment need more of our care. Fr. Groeschel deserved better. This was editorial malpractice of the very worst sort." Then she linked to this piece: [url="http://www.catholicworldreport.com/blog/detail.aspx?contentid=1564"]http://www.catholicw...?contentid=1564[/url]

Mark Shea had this to say (on facebook):
All I can think of as I read Fr. Benedict's heart-wringing plea for patience and mercy is Pistol in Henry V:

The king's a bawcock, and a heart of gold,
A lad of life, an imp of fame;
Of parents good, of fist most valiant.
I kiss his dirty shoe, and from heart-string
I love the lovely bully.

I kiss Fr. Benedict's dirty shoe and from heart-string I love the lovely priest. He is a great and good man, hobbled by age, multiple strokes and a devastating car accident. It were rank ingratitude and lovelessness to throw away such a life of selfless love of Christ and neighbor over a single set of comments in an interview that were spoken in gigantic charity for deeply broken people.

(For what it's worth, I agree with them both.)

[To Jesus Through Mary]

Wow! So sad. I have been noticing in the last 2 years Fr Groeschel really "loosing it". Perhaps Fr Glenn is right, that he isn't thinking straight. I sure hope so. Even [i]if[/i] a 16 yr old boy acted as a "seducer" a adult has no right to act upon that! Sick sick sick. The child is never at fault. Ever.

[Lil Red]

Mark Shea also wrote this: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2012/08/prayers-for-fr-benedict-groeschel.html

All I know of the man is that he has lived a lifetime of compassion for the weak, of charity, mercy, fidelity, and holiness. I pray for him in this hour of terrible trial and thank him for his life of goodness to so many people as I thank God for the gift of Fr. Benedict. May God bless him through Jesus Christ our Lord. Mother Mary, pray for your son Benedict.

PS: As I watch the feeding frenzy unfold and the members of the Church Christ established to mediate the mercy and forgiveness of God to the fallen indulge themselves in the Cult of St. Piranha the Merciless, [url="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2012/06/rene-girard-and-the-vengeance-fantasy.html"]I am reminded of this piece I wrote some time back[/url]. Have mercy. Someday it will be you needing it.

[Basilisa Marie]

Clearly Fr. Groeschel is suffering from some kind of mental deterioration. I hope his community continues to treat him with more love and kindness and patience than the media has shown him.

[Mary's Margaret]

One needs to look at the whole picture: are these remarks consistent with what we know about Fr. Groeschel? Is Father currently expressing his thoughts and opinion in a balanced and fully articulated way as he did in the past? We need to not fall into the all-to-common trap of sensationalism and reactionary thought. As a fellow counsellor, I can imagine where those comments came from and can also see how, given Father's mental state after strokes etc, it all became a bit of a muddle and came out in unexplained bits that unfortunately read as the interview reported. The editor's comments above are, I think, most correct and ought to be brought forward in some public response to the media 'frenzy'.

I have no doubt that Father's comments do not express what is in his heart, and I agree with the priest quoted who said that Father would most likely be greatly pained if he realised how poorly he expressed himself and the hurt it may have caused.

As with all the aging who may be experiencing a loss of full cogvitive function, we need to remember who they really are and to protect them from situations where they may, without intent, express themselves in a hurtful way. I'm sure his community will do just that. May God bless Father. keep him surrounded with the love of those who know him best and protect him from the greatly undeserved criticism that is flying around him at the moment.

Father Groeschel is a faithful servant of the Lord and worthy of our love. I know I've learned a lot from him over the years, as have countless others.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Mary's Margaret

[Noel's angel]

He shouldn't have been put in the position to do the interview then, or at least after he did the interview, it should have been edited. My heart goes out to him if it is a case of dementia/failing health. I do have a hard time imagining that he would have actually thought something like this, but one never knows.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Noel's angel

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Noel's angel' timestamp='1346425317' post='2476703']
He shouldn't have been put in the position to do the interview then, or at least after he did the interview, it should have been edited. My heart goes out to him if it is a case of dementia/failing health. I do have a hard time imagining that he would have actually thought something like this, but one never knows.[/quote]

as Mary's Margaret said:
[quote name='Mary's Margaret' timestamp='1346424296' post='2476698']
One needs to look at the whole picture: are these remarks consistent with what we know about Fr. Groeschel? Is Father currently expressing his thoughts and opinion in a balanced and fully articulated way as he did in the past? [/quote]

Fr. Groeschel has been a public priest for a very long time. It doesn't fit in with what we know of him. So give him the benefit of the doubt, and pray for him.

edit: that sounds snarky. i promise i'm not being snarky. and you are probably praying for him. God bless.

[beatitude]

I've met Father Groeschel. I asked him for advice about a young friend of mine (fourteen years old) who was in hospital because of anorexia and several suicide attempts and various other serious problems. She was in there for two solid years. She'd been sexually abused by a teacher (also a friend of her family) and that was a big part of why she had become the way she was. He was nothing but compassionate, gentle, and insightful. There was no hint of victim-blaming or anything of that sort. That was in 2006. He came across as a competent and knowledgeable psychologist, as well as a wise and kind-hearted priest. In this interview you don't see that competence, you see a confused and frail man who in all honesty probably wouldn't be capable of passing a high school psychology exam.

My nana started to say some really awful things when her cognitive deterioration began. She was particularly cruel to my nephew, blaming him for problems that my sister was facing. Jake came to me and said, "Nana isn't my friend," and burst into tears. I also received the same treatment from my nana at one point - she phoned me one night and out of nowhere she started telling me how my mum and other grandma had caused me to disabled as part of some conspiracy between the two of them when I was born. It made no sense. When she talks like this we have to remember that she can't think as she did before. It's important to have mercy on old people when they're confused and ill and perhaps not understanding things as they once could. One day that could be us.

[Era Might]

We all express half thought out ideas. I do it all the time here on Phatmass. And we could all afford to keep our thoughts to ourselves a lot more.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Era Might

[Era Might]

[quote name='Era Might' timestamp='1346432068' post='2476741']
We all express half thought out ideas. I do it all the time here on Phatmass. And we could all afford to keep our thoughts to ourselves a lot more.
[/quote]
By the way this post was a half thought out idea. Should have probably kept this one to myself too.

[fides' Jack]

I'm sure that if we had the full context of what Fr. Groeschel actually said, it would make a lot more sense. Even if he had some sort of injury that left him confused about certain things (I'm doubting), he'd still be far more capable of commenting on these issues than I am.

I don't think this is a mistake on his part, but on the media circulating the store and perhaps editorial problems from the original paper where it was published. That man is likely a living saint, and I believe the closer he gets to God, the more accurately he will see and comprehend truth. I'm sure the statements were taken out of context, and I don't believe he's confused about anything. I think he said precisely what he meant to say.

[fides' Jack]

[quote name='To Jesus Through Mary' timestamp='1346423702' post='2476692']
Wow! So sad. I have been noticing in the last 2 years Fr Groeschel really "loosing it". Perhaps Fr Glenn is right, that he isn't thinking straight. I sure hope so. Even [i]if[/i] a 16 yr old boy acted as a "seducer" a adult has no right to act upon that! Sick sick sick. The child is never at fault. Ever.
[/quote]

16 isn't exactly a child. In New York, you're no longer a minor at 17 (I believe). So, what's the difference between 16 years 364 days and 17 years?

[MIKolbe]

The difference is about 5-10 in county.